Searching for Temptation
by moonlighthappiness
Summary: A slight bananun AU where Lana and Mary Eunice escape Briarcliff together. Mary Eunice never gets possessed and Lana never gets kidnapped by Thredson. Lana returns home to Wendy to see that she has gone into hiding because of Jude. Lana doesn't know that Wendy is dead and leaves to start a new life in New Orleans with Mary Eunice.


Searching for Temptation

Mary Eunice's POV

"I'll be back 10 minutes before midnight," I whisper through the small barred window of Lana's cell.

Lights out was at 7, and the hours till midnight were going to drag on. I secured the rooms of the other inmates one by one before turning the lights out at the end of the hall. I stopped by the storage room before retreating back to the room I shared with the other young nuns. We kept the inmates old attire in here, and various other junk items. We needed outfits that wouldn't attract attention once we walked out of the tunnel doors. I scanned through the boxes trying to find clothes in mine and Lana's size. I opened one box and found a pair of stylish bell bottoms. I looked at the tag and they were size 6, perfect for Lana. I scoured through a couple more boxes finding a pleated skirt that looked to be my size and a couple of button ups. I've worn my habit for three years now, I'm not even sure what my actual size in normal clothing is anymore.

I tucked the clothing under my habit discretely. I had to make sure the other nuns didn't notice anything. I backed out of the storage room, locking the door before slipping my keys into the pocket of my habit.

"Sister, what are you doing walking around the halls?" Dr. Arden's voice boomed behind me. I jumped, gasping audibly. He was the last person I wanted to see.

"You scared me Dr. Arden," I went to touch my chest, feeling my heart beat rapidly. I kept my other hand firmly around my waist to keep what I was hiding from falling out. "I have a bit of a stomach ache and I was trying to find where we kept the Panadol."

"I have some in my office," he puts his hands in the pockets of his lab coat with a scrutinized look. "You could've just walked down and asked."

 _I'm afraid of you._ I gave him a small smile, "I didn't want to bother you at this time of night doctor."

"You wouldn't be bothering me a bit, I'm usually up for a while at night anyways," he turns and cues for me to follow him. "Come on, I'll get you something for the pain."

I follow him, mostly out of fear of what will happen if I don't. We walk through the long corridor, making our way down the stairway to heaven. _I need to keep an eye on the time._

"That statue is so sinister," Dr. Arden says pointing at the nun sculpture. "They should replace it. What do you think about it, sister?"

I snap out of my own thoughts, "I sort of like it. I went with Jude to pick it out."

His blank face when he heard me said nothing, but everything at the same time. A chill raced down my back. I wanted to get the medicine as quickly as possible. He opened the door, letting me enter first. I quickly signed the cross and said a silent prayer. He walked out from behind me over to his desk, opening one of his desk drawers. He pulled out a white plastic bottle with a seal that said Panadol.

"Take the bottle with you," he handed it to me and I pocketed it in with my keys. "The other nuns might come down with it too, so it's better to be prepared for it."

"Thank you doctor, I very much appreciate it," I smiled at him and I turned to leave. "I'm going to head back to the quarters now, we're going to have a very busy day tomorrow. Jude says there's going to be an exorcism."

"Doesn't that scare you?" Dr. Arden crosses the room to hang up his lab coat. "The idea that evil can infiltrate through the cracks."

"If my faith wasn't so strong in God, something like that would scare me I do admit," I rock on my heels a little, eager to leave. This office and this place. Briarcliff has become the evil my faith is against and I cannot stay here anymore. "But I know God will protect me, even when evil comes to knock on my door."

I didn't say that he is the one who scares me the most. He is always kind and gentle towards me and goes out of his way very often to help me, but he makes me feel unsafe. The way that his eyes pierce my body when I'm checking on the inmates in the common room. How he's nowhere but everywhere at the same time. I cannot remember the last time I walked through the halls alone without him spotting me. It's almost as if he takes pleasure in seeing me squirm around him.

"You say that like you actually believe it," he sits down in his chair pulling a stack of papers out of a folder. "Your faith is relentless."

"I do believe it Doctor," I open the door to leave, but before I do I say, "God has done many things for me, and I will do right by him always."

Back in the quarters, my eyes dash between my Bible and the clock. I've been reading to make the time pass by faster, but it seemed to pass more slowly. The guards make their rounds at midnight so Lana and I have exactly 10 minutes to escape. I glance at the clock now and it reads 11:46PM. _It's almost time._ I pull the sheets back, being extremely careful not to make any noise. I slide out, tiptoeing over to the door, my habit and veil still intact. The door creaks softly as I open it and Sister Nancy tosses in her bed from the other side. I quickly snake out, shutting the door behind me. I look at the clock in the corridor and it reads 11:48PM now. I move fast, but making sure to stay silent. I don't want to wake Jude or alert the guards or other inmates. I turn left down the women's ward, Lana's room is number 36.

* * *

Lana's POV

"Lana," I hear a faint whisper. I rip my covers off and run to the door. It's Mary Eunice. "We have to be quick, the guards do rounds in 9 minutes."

"I just need to get out of here," I say softly as the door slides open. "We need to get out of here."

I subconsciously grab her hand, it's soft and feminine, but cold. She leads me down the hall, we're half running but not enough to make noise. We're practically stumbling over each other as we make our way down the stairway. Jude calls it the stairway to heaven, but I call it the stairway to freedom. We pass through the common room, where Dominique plays all hours of the day and apparently night. Mary Eunice creeps the door open on the other side, peering both ways before we make our way to the bakery. She unlocks the doors, and now we're running. We slam through the doors to the tunnel and we take off. She let go off my hand, but the ghost of it still lingers. She pushes the laundry baskets away from the door and we both push. At first it won't budge, but we push harder and it flies open with a loud thud.

"Come on they probably heard that," Mary Eunice grabs my hand, and we take off into the woods. "This way!"

We make a right, and I'm breathless. Breathless from running, but the overwhelming feeling of freedom. We're getting hit in the face with branches and leaves but I don't care.

"How far till we reach the road?" I yell.

"Not much farther," Mary Eunice yells in reply. "Hopefully we can hitch a ride."

We run for what seems like a decade, but we eventually reach the road. It's dark and empty, not much different from Briarcliff. I look behind me and I can see faint lights in the distance.

"Sister we have to go. Now," she heard the panic in my voice and I saw the panic across her face. "Let's run across and we can walk through the woods but still close to the road."

"Good idea," we dash across, ducking under the branches. "We have to be fast if we see a car. We can't miss it."

We walk a ways through the woods, and the lights from the other side have seemingly faded. I ask Mary Eunice if we could stop for a second to catch our breath and she agreed.

"Here's some clothes," she pulled out the ugliest pair of pants and a button up out from under her habit. "I'm surprised I didn't drop them when we were running through the woods. Don't look."

I turn around to change out of the denim inmate gown, and into the clothes Mary Eunice gave me. The pants were a little big, but they'd do for now. I turn around and see Mary in a pleated skirt and a button up very similar to mine. Her blonde hair flowed over her shoulders, and ended right under her breasts. Her long legs exposed, probably the first time in years. The moonlight hit her face just right, making her glow. She was beautiful. The habit definitely didn't do her that justice.

"We should probably stay at a motel for the night," I suggest. "The first place they're going to look for us is my house. We can stop by in the morning to pick up some things but I'm taking Wendy and leaving the state. Do you have anywhere to go?"

* * *

Mary's POV

The question pierced through my skin. I didn't have anywhere to go. I grew up in an orphanage and Briarcliff was the only real home I ever knew. Until that all changed.

"Um, no not really," I shyly admit. "But I'll find someplace so you don't have to worry about me. There's probably another convent a few towns away I could stay at."

"You can come with Wendy and I," Lana offers a smile. "I would like it if you come with us. If you want to anyways, I wouldn't want you to abandon your vows."

"It feels nice to be back in normal clothing for once," I hold out my skirt, there's tiny flecks of dust on it that I pretend not to notice. "I almost forgot what it felt like."

"You look very pretty Sister," the compliment rolls off Lana's tongue and falls onto my skin. Nobody's ever called me pretty. Kids in school always said I was very homely and I'd be lucky if someone thought I was attractive.

"I'm not, but thank you for saying that," I say feeling my cheeks go hot with embarrassment. "I hope a car comes by soon."

No car has passed by and we've been out for a couple hours now. Lana suggested we sit on the grouping of rocks right by the road so we wouldn't use up all our energy. If no car came by tonight, there would definitely be one once the sun started to come out. This was a popular road people took on their way to work. I was starting to get drowsy, forcing myself to keep upright.

"So, tell me sister," Lana pulls out a cigarette, dragging a match across the rock to light it. "What was your life like before Briarcliff?"

 _I didn't have one._ "Just a normal, simple life," I turned and offered a small smile to her. The smoke from the cigarette made my eyes water and I started to cough. Lana quickly put the cigarette out and back into the pack. "Thank you."

"A simple life, huh?" Lana quizzed me. "Do you think you can go back to that now?"

"No, probably not," I squinted, thinking about the days I would go to and from school every day. We got out at 3PM, and I had to be back at the orphanage by 3:30 or else Mrs. Palmer, the director, would take away our weekend privileges. I hardly went out on the weekends, mostly because I didn't have any friends to go with but when I did I liked to go to the ice cream shop right down the road. I always got a double scoop of strawberry with nuts and sprinkles. I would sit there for hours, long after finishing the dessert, looking around at the groups of kids my age laughing and having fun.

I admired one of my classmates in particular, Mildred Callister, but everyone called her Millie. She had long brown hair, tall, her perfect teeth always plastered a smile. All the girls desired her curvy body that drove boys nuts. The girls too, if I'm being truthful. I stared at her when I knew her attention was elsewhere, wishing I could be like her. If I had been like her, maybe I would have a few friends.

It was a couple weeks before school let out for the summer, and Mildred stopped me as I was heading to gym class.

" _Hey, Mary Eunice," she called out to me. Was there another Mary Eunice, I remember thinking to myself._

" _Hey Mildred," I said once she got close enough. "How's your day been?"_

" _Please, Mary Eunice, call me Millie. Everyone calls me that," she handed me a piece of paper with an address on it. "I'm having a pool party before finals to kind of kick off the summer. I want you to come."_

" _Me?" I couldn't believe that Mildred Callister was actually inviting me to a pool party. At her house. It was this Saturday at 2. My weekend privileges only allowed me to stay out till 5, but that was enough for me._

" _Of course!" she winked at me, flipping her hair over her shoulder. She moved to whisper something in my ear, "We're all going skinny dipping so no need to bring a bathing suit."_

 _That made me nervous and worrisome about my body. I didn't know what the boys would think or the other girls. I didn't want them to laugh. But if everyone would be naked, I guess that wouldn't make it so bad. I'm sure everyone else is just as nervous as I am. I wonder if Mildred was as nervous as I was._

 _She wasn't._

 _I jumped in the pool, the cold water paralyzing my body. I didn't care, I couldn't hear their laughs. I stayed under for as long my lungs would allow. I thought about never coming back up, but I did. The laughing had ceased as I saw my classmates standing around in bikinis and speedos. I looked around for Mildred and she stood in the corner holding a camera. Tears welled up in my eyes, I quickly rushed out of the pool and grabbed a towel. I wrapped it around my body and ran as fast as I could carry myself._

 _On Monday, I tried to get out of going to school, but Mrs. Palmer said unless I was dying, I had to go. I begged and begged, but she made me go. I knew what was waiting when I walked in those doors. A photo of me, nude, in front of half the student body was taped on the bulletin board, and on the lockers, the classroom windows, everywhere. There were hundreds. Everyone saw them, laughing and pointing. I didn't make it to my locker before I turned around and left._

That's when I joined the church. The idea of becoming a nun never occurred to me, but in that moment it was the greatest idea. I found solace and hope through my tear filled eyes when I walked through the church doors. My final year in school, I got special permission from Mrs. Palmer to stay out till 5 on school days so I could go to the church and pray. God became my best friend, and is my only friend to this day. He is the only one I need. As long as He is with me, I need nobody else.

"Look, someone's coming around the bend," Lana jumps up and rushes to the side of the road. I follow behind her, and we stick our thumbs out.

"You ladies need a ride?" a middle aged man, who was greying on his sides said through his rolled down window.

"Could you take us to the nearest motel please?" Lana looked at me and grabbed my hand as she pulled me into the backseat.

"How long have you ladies been out this time of night?" he looks over his shoulder at us. I'm bouncing my leg up and down to keep the intrusive thoughts away. _This man could murder us. Briarcliff is safer than this mans car._

"Just a while sir," I answer in hopes he won't ask anymore questions. He doesn't. I look at the clock and it reads 3:19AM.

Lana and I stole glances between one another, our hands still clutched between our legs. Her hands are rough and warm. They're strong hands, comforting. Memories of Lana cornering me in the library come flooding back to me. The bruises of her electroshock therapy were starting to fade, the lashes from Jude's cane still fresh on my bottom. The electroshock was something new at Briarcliff, and inhumane. The involuntary jerking of inmates body's when Dr. Arden cranked on the machine made my eyes water. _No human should experience that pain._ Seeing Lana punished like that was the last straw. She was committed for who she loves, something that nobody should be punished for. Homosexuality was frowned upon in the church, I never understood why.

When I was assigned to Briarcliff, I was to assist Sister Jude in the care of the inmates. I tended to their minor medical needs, assuring they got their three meals a day. Sister Jude allowed me to hold group therapy sessions with inmates occasionally. I hoped that there could be redemption for them. I think everyone deserves a chance of forgiveness. Only several inmates were ever permitted to leave. Sister Jude found their conditions to be resolved. The rest would remain in Briarcliff till they ultimately died. A fate I didn't want for Lana. A fate she didn't want for me.

She must've been able to tell that I was unhappy with the place Briarcliff had become. "Let's escape this place," she looked around her surroundings before whispering her next words. "I know you want to leave as much as I do. I can feel it."

"Lana, I, can't speak of it right now," I set a book on the shelf. "We can't speak of this."

"Sister please, we can leave together through the tunnel," she was begging. A tear fell down her face. I hated seeing her cry. I heard her screams from the electroshock therapy and I had to leave, it was to painful. I went to the chapel to pray for her recovery.

"Okay," I nodded, wiping the stray tear off her face. "Tomorrow night, 10 minutes before midnight. I'll be there to get you."

"We're here," the man says pulling into a motel. The clock reads 3:39 now. He reaches into his back pocket pulling out his wallet. "Here's a few dollars, you look like you need it."

"Thanks," Lana grabs the twenty from the mans hands snidely. I get out on the other side, and he pulls out, tires squealing as he goes. "He totally thought we were prostitutes. Come on, the vacancy light is still on."

* * *

Lana's POV

"What can I do for you ladies?" the elderly woman sitting at the desk asked, peering over her glasses.

"One room please," I slide the twenty across the counter over to her. She pockets the twenty and walks to the back room. When she reappears, she hands me a paper to fill out and sign. She hands the key to Mary Eunice.

"Check out's at 8," she slides the paper into a folder. "But since you ladies got in so late, you can stay till 10."

"We'll be out by 8, thanks," Mary Eunice pipes up behind me.

We walk out of the office to our room, room 203, on the second level. I walk up the stairs behind Mary Eunice, and we get into our room.

"I desperately need a shower," I run my hands through my greasy hair, caked with tree branches and mud from running through the woods. "I wish they had spare clothing in motels. Not that I don't like this outfit, but it sort of ruins the point of taking a shower."

"The outfits pretty bad," Mary Eunice giggles softly. Her laugh is pure and sweet, it could light the devils soul on fire. She takes her shoes off, rubbing the arcs of her feet. "Do you think you would have something in my size for me to change into tomorrow?"

I looked at her with a puzzled look but then I remembered that I was taking her with me once I got Wendy. She could stay with us for a couple months till she found another convent. After they stopped looking for her. "I should have something you could fit in. We'll need to go shopping anyways. I can buy you a few things."

"You don't need to do that. You've helped me out so much, getting me out of that place, and you certainly don't need to spend money on me."

I looked at the floor then back up at her, "Yeah, but I'm going to do it anyways."

I closed the bathroom door, stripping down till I was completely naked. I ran my fingers over my breasts, poking gently at the fading bruises. My legs were worse. They were all fresh. I didn't dare to look or touch the scabbed lashes on my bottom. _I wonder how well Mary's are healing._ I turned the shower on, feeling the cold water get warm. I stood there for a while just letting the warm water crawl down my skin. I felt tears start to run down my face, hot like fire. I slid down in the shower, sitting on the cool tile. I sobbed, my emotions raw and overpowering. I can't remember the last time I cried like this. I don't know how much time passed, how I managed to stumble out of the shower, but I did. I wrapped the robe that hung on the bathroom door around me, pulling it tight. Mary Eunice was already asleep in bed, she left a light on for me. I slowly crept back the sheets on the other side, sliding in. It felt like an entire eternity since I slept in a real bed, with real blankets. I quickly fell asleep, leaving the lights on.

"Lana!" Mary Eunice jolted me awake, shaking me repeatedly. "We overslept, it's 2 in the afternoon!"

"Shit," I jumped out of bed, my head started to spin but I kept moving. I grabbed the clothes I had on from last night and ran to the bathroom. I jumped into them, and before we left the motel I left a note on the end table.

 _Sorry we overslept. Hope the twenty covers the late checkout fees._

"Let's go before someone sees us."

"Wait, Lana, how are we getting to your house?" Mary Eunice said two seconds late. I already shut the door, leaving the key inside. I sighed heavily.

"I guess we wait for a car to come."

* * *

Mary's POV

Lana's house was small, but it was nice. She had vases on the tables all around the house, Victorian style lamps, a velvet couch. It must've cost her a lot of money for these things.

"Wendy, darling," Lana calls out. "Where are you?"

I stand in the living room as Lana walks through the house looking for her lover Wendy. She reappears with a worried look on her face, the last time I saw that look on her face was when I told her I'd be back around midnight to get her.

"I can't find her Sister," Lana goes to the kitchen, opening the fridge up to see if any of the food was spoiled. She picked a piece of paper off the counter. "She left a note. She says she's hiding from Jude and when she thinks it's safe she'll come home."

"Did she say where she is?" I ask.

"No, she didn't say. Just that she's hiding."

"I'm sorry Lana. I'm sorry Jude did this to you. You deserve better and if there's something I can do to fix this, please let me."

"Sister, none of this is your fault. If I wasn't so stubborn and hard headed about that damn story, I wouldn't be in this mess," she pocketed the note in the jeans she changed into. She shakes her head, "I'm sorry. That was selfish of me to say. I'm glad you're here with me. I don't have many friends, only Wendy. It's nice to have someone else around now."

"We're friends?"

"Of course we are," she waves me to follow her down the hall. We enter a room that I think is hers, "This is my closet, pick out something you like. I'm putting the rest of it in my suitcase. I called a cab and it should be here any minute to take us to the bus station."

I scrummage through her clothes and find a pretty red polka dot dress, "I like this."

"It's yours, I haven't worn it in years," Lana starts pulling shirts and pants out of the drawers. "We're gonna have to make a stop somewhere to get you some underwear and bras. Do you remember what your size is?"

 _I've never worn a bra._ I nod my head, I hate to lie to Lana, but I don't want my ignorance about my own body to become a burden to her.

"Okay, I think we're ready to go now. I have six thousand in cash. We should be good for a while, when Wendy comes home, we'll have more to survive on. I don't expect you to get a job, but we can talk about that when we get to it."

I hope that day never comes. I wouldn't begin to know how to survive on my own, to work for a living. I keep telling Lana that I'll find another convent to go to, but I'm not entirely sure I want to go back to the church. I shouldn't be thinking like this, putting all the baggage on Lana's shoulders without even physically doing it. It's selfish, and I'm letting God down. I'd be letting him down more by not returning to a convent. Briarcliff was the worst place on earth, if hell was place, that was it.

A car horn beeped outside, Lana peered out the window, "the cab's here."

"Okay, let's go," I smile at Lana, and she gives me a gigantic smile. My head starts to swim, _she's so beautiful. More beautiful than Mildred Callister will ever be._ If I didn't know better, I'd think Lana was an angel. She is an angel. She opens the door, letting me walk out first. She closed the door, and handed me the key to her house.

"I want you to have it. Wendy and I can never come back here, but someday once you get back on your feet and want to return, it's yours to keep."

"Lana, I-, I don't begin to know how to thank you. This is the kindest thing anyone's ever done for me," I grab her and pull her into an embrace. Her body is warm, feminine, her curves melting under my hands. _Stop that._

"You gave me back my freedom Sister, we took our freedom back together, let's start over."

The cab pulled into the bus station, Lana handed the cab driver thirty dollars. He pulled out and we walked into the main station.

"Wait here," Lana set down the singular bag we brought along with us by my feet. "I'm going to get our tickets."

I tapped the heels of my feet together, a habit I've had since I could remember. Mrs. Palmer called it a tell. I don't know what that means, but I took it as a compliment. I didn't get compliments often, if ever, so it was nice of her to notice something I did a lot.

"Okay, I hope you like New Orleans,' Lana handed me my bus ticket. "The bus leaves in ten minutes."

"This is so exciting," I grab Lana again and give her an even tighter hug than the first. I liked hugging Lana. She made me feel at ease, I wanted her to hold me for hours. _Mary Eunice, you have to stop thinking like that._

We load onto the bus, handing the driver our tickets. We decided to sit in the back, it was private and quiet. I needed to sleep for a while before we got to New Orleans. If I remember my geography, it was in the south so we'd be driving for a while. It's definitely warmer down there than it is here in Massachusetts this time of year.

"What's next for you Lana," I asked, liking the way her name rolled off my tongue.

She looked at me, brushing a stray strand of my hair out of my eyes, then turning her head to look out the window, "Maybe I'll write a book."

* * *

Lana's POV

Mary Eunice and I had been in New Orleans for two weeks now. We'd been staying a motel, but I just got a call today we'd be moving into an apartment. When we got to New Orleans, the first thing we did was sleep. We got to New Orleans at 5AM, we both showered, and we didn't wake up till nine the next morning. I took her shopping, since I didn't bring anything she'd be able to wear. She needed everything. Pants, shirts, bras, underwear. I took her to Dillard's and let her pick out whatever she desired.

 _I followed behind her in the store to make sure she didn't get lost. We were in the lingerie department, my attention was on a black lacy bra when she showed me the one she picked out. It was a plain white bra, with lace at the bottom and five sizes to big._

" _Sister, um," I ran my hand across my head. "Not that I was looking, but your breasts aren't…. that large."_

 _She looked so embarrassed, her cheeks flushed red, she looked like she wanted to cry. "Oh gosh, I had no clue. This was the size I always wore in high school."_

 _I could tell she was lying, there was no way she wore that and was actually comfortable. "It's okay if you need to get measured." I touched her arm, feeling the goosebumps raise at the warmth on her cold skin._

" _I've never worn a bra. I'm so ashamed and I feel so stupid," she put the bra back, she was crying now. "Can we go, I want to go."_

" _Of course," I took the clothes that were draped over her arm into my own. "Let's pay for everything and we'll go."_

Now back at the motel, I walked through the front door with a Macy's bag in hand. I found a couple nice bras when I went to buy myself a few new suits, a plain white one much like the one she picked out the other day and a more sensual black one. I didn't know what her style was, so I bought both.

She sat on the bed, with her legs crossed, the long skirt she had on splayed between her legs. She had on a red sleeveless checked shirt. It was much warmer in New Orleans so we both could wear something more comfortable, with less layers.

"Lana!" she jumped from the bed with excitement. She ran across the room, pulling out a large shopping bag from behind the chair. "I bought you something today."

"Oh," I cocked my head. I didn't know she went anywhere. She was still asleep when I left. "I bought you something too."

We traded bags, the one she gave me was heavier than the tiny one I handed her.

"Go ahead! Open it!"

I sat on the bed, pulling out a cardboard box. _Series C Royalite Typewriter._ She bought me a typewriter.

"Sister," I stuttered. She bought me a brand-new typewriter. Her kindness never ceased. "Thank you. This is such a nice gift, I love it. I can't wait to use it."

"Lana, we're friends now, I want you to call me Mary," she grabbed my hand in hers, and placed it inside her lap. Her hands were always so cold. "You said you wanted to write a book, I don't think you can do that unless you have something to write it on."

"Mary," I leaned in and placed a simple kiss on her cheek.

It was a gut reaction, but I can't deny it made my stomach flip. I wonder if it made her feel the same way. _Lana, you're in love with Wendy._ I've had to remind myself of that multiple times over the last few days. I'd never fall for Mary Eunice, but she was so damn beautiful. The way she twirled her hair when she was talking, her laugh when I told her a joke made my insides jump. Her bright blue eyes held so many secrets I wanted to uncover one by one. I thought about Wendy often, every day. I wish I knew where she was. I want to know if she's okay. I know she's not with her parents. When they caught us in her bedroom on her 18th birthday, they kicked her out and told her she was not welcome back. Luckily, we were both in college so she wasn't completely homeless. We bought our first apartment together the same year. She could be somewhere in the Midwest, I know she had a few cousins that she was close with out that way. I never met any of them, but she talked about them all the time. I asked if I could meet them once, but she shut down, and didn't speak of them ever again after that. _I wonder if Mary has any family._

"Open yours," I pushed the small bag towards her.

She pulled the bras out of the bag, putting them against her chest. "I can't pick which one I love more. The white goes with more, but the black is so beautiful."

"You'll look beautiful no matter which one you decide to wear darling," I pushed a strand of her blonde hair out of her face. A habit I've picked up lately. It was a bad habit, but are habits really ever good?

* * *

Mary's POV

I awoke to Lana shaking me, "Good morning." I glanced at the clock on the wall, 8:26AM. I groaned, pressing my face into the pillow. Lana giggled, biting her lip. I loved when she did that. "I'll let you sleep 5 more minutes, but then you have to get up. We're moving into our apartment today and we have lots to do."

I like how she said, our apartment. It was mine and hers, hers and mine, we had something together. I wanted to share everything with her. I wonder if she wanted to share anything with me.

After five minutes passed, she came over to wake me again. "I'm up, I'm up."

I tossed the sheets back, my feet hitting the cool carpet. I stumbled into the bathroom, changing into one of the new dresses Lana bought for me. I liked wearing dresses, they reminded me of my habit but they were much prettier and not as long. I asked the sales lady when Lana wasn't paying attention if they had any veils, but she thought I meant for a bride. Marriage was something I would ever be able to do. Even if I found someone, my vows to God were the only vows I'd ever take.

I hadn't attended church for a few weeks now. I asked Lana to take me to the one right down the road, but I never went. I lied and told her I wasn't feeling well. I always went to church, even when I was sick. I never let sickness keep me from God. But after leaving Briarcliff, meeting Lana, that all started changing. I didn't know who I was anymore, I didn't feel like a nun. I didn't feel like a normal person either. To tell the truth, I felt like a criminal committing a moral crime against themselves.

I brushed my hair out using the one the motel had provided our first night here. I always keep a special orange butterfly hairpin Mrs. Palmer gave me when I turned 18 with me. I always wore it in my hair underneath my habit veil. It's the only thing I've kept with me all these years. I'm 26 now but I feel much older. Lana's only four years older than me, she was born December 30th , she just turned 30. Mine was April 6th. It had just passed, but I was excited to spend my next one with Lana. I'd already started thinking about what to get Lana for hers. I don't know what Lana was interested in. Things have been so hectic, we haven't had the time to sit and really get to know each other. But I want to know everything about her.

I walked out of the bathroom, seeing Lana sitting on the bed. She was on the phone with someone, so I made sure to be real quiet. I propped myself up against the doorway, watching her carefully. She ran her hands through her hair, something she does whenever she's talking to someone else. Her lips were slightly upturned, so it's a pleasant phone call. She looked up at me and grinned, my heart wanting to jump right out of it's chest. Lana was my friend, but the way I felt for her lately, I wasn't so sure. I hadn't been attracted to a woman before. Is this what a crush feels like? When I wanted Mildred Callister to notice me, I wanted someone to hang out with and tell all my secrets to. I wished for someone who's hair I could try different hair styles on, someone who would do my hair. With Lana, my desire is for her to figure my secrets out. Not that I have any, and if she were to ask I'd pour my heart out.

"You ready Mary?" she stood up, placing the phone back on the receiver. "Our new lives are about to start today."

Our life together.

* * *

Lana's POV

"We should go shopping," I suggest to Mary as I shut the bottom drawer. We didn't have much to unpack, we only had our clothes and the few things we bought over the last couple weeks. The apartment came furnished with utilities included, for only $175 a month. I even had a desk to put my new type writer on. It was only one bedroom so Mary and I would have to share a bed. We've been sharing a bed together since the first night we left Briarcliff but tonight would be different. We'd be sharing a bed together in something that was finally ours, the first thing we've truly shared together. I can't deny I wish I was sharing my bed with Wendy. I missed the warmth of her body, the way she used to trace my stomach after making love for hours. She's been on my mind all day, memories of the day we moved into our first apartment together. She surprised me for my birthday with the keys. She had it put on a keychain with my name on it.

" _There's no better way I'd want to spend your birthday than with you in our new apartment," the words escaped her lips right as I caught them with my own._

A tear ran down my face, I quickly wiped it away before Mary saw. I cared about her and I know she cares about me, but I couldn't talk to her about Wendy. Not today at least. Today was our day, and I wouldn't let anything or anyone take that away from us.

"What kind of bedsheets did you have in mind," she pointed to the bare mattress in the middle of the room.

"What kind of bedsheets do you like?" I ask. Now that we're going to be sharing a bed together every night for the foreseeable future, I want to get to know her more. _I want to know her body._ I pushed the thought away as soon as it came. She was so pure and I was not. I was anything but pure.

"I don't know," she held her head down. "I never got to choose my own. What kind do they have?"

Her ignorance about the world made me sad. It made me sad, but I'm going to show her everything. I'm going to show her what happiness feels like, the thrill of it all. I was going to show her, every day I have with her.

"They have all kinds. They have floral prints, it's too girly for my taste but if that's what you like, we can get that. They have solid colors, prints, anything you desire my love."

"Ooh, I think we'll get floral!"

I bent over and let out the loudest laugh. She's so pure, it's so damn sweet and adorable.

"Come on, let's go then," I grabbed my keys and we were out the door.

* * *

"Lana!" I heard Mary yelp from across the aisle. "What do you think of this print?"

I walked over to her, she pointed to a red chenille style bedspread with matching sheets. It was horrendously ugly. But if she liked it, then I loved it.

"I like the print," I lied. "You think we could do a lighter color though? Maybe an off white?"

"Oh, that would be perfect!" Mary wrapped her arm around me, pulling me into a side hug. Her hugs were the best. I loved the way her body felt when matched with mine. "You're so smart Lana, I don't know what I'd do without you."

I smiled at the words, I know she was just being nice, but deep down I hoped she meant it.

"Alright, now that we've got that settled," I place the bedsheets in the cart. "Let's pick out some lamps."

My mind wandered across the room, Mary's voice next to me saying, "I was looking at these polka dot ones just a minute ago!"

Mary's sense of style was… lacking to put it nicely. She didn't have to tell me, but I knew she didn't have much say about anything growing up and even as an adult woman now. So I decided I would put up with anything, within reason, she wanted. If she wanted chenille bedsheets with blue polka dot lamps, that's what she was going to get.

It was time for bed now, in the morning I was going to start writing my book. I told myself when I walked into that place that I was going to expose everything that went on in that place, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I want that place to burn. I set the book I was trying to read on the nightstand, I keep getting distracted so I gave up entirely.

Mary walked out of the bathroom, her hair wet from the shower, in a white silk robe. I watched her, a glowing light emitting from around her body, a halo above her head. She was gorgeous. I gulped, my stomach fell to my feet. I've never seen anymore more beautiful than her. Not even Wendy. Mary was tall and feminine, she moved with grace and confidence. She was probably the least confident person in the world, but you would never know it.

"You look beautiful Mary," I mumble.

"Hmm?" she turned around, her smile blinding me.

"I said you look beautiful," I said again, a little louder. I wanted her to hear me this time. She deserves to be told every day. I wanted to be the one to tell her every day.

"Lana, that's awfully sweet," her cheeks blushed bright red. She started to twirl her hair, and I felt my mind tumbling down. Everything that I keep telling myself over and over didn't exist.

"It's true, don't tell yourself that it's not."

She sidled up in bed next to me, my stomach was doing flips again. I don't know why I was so nervous, we've slept in the same bed over a dozen times. I felt the mattress shrink with the weight of her body. I turned towards her, and she turned towards me. I was smiling like a complete idiot, resisting the urge to bite my lip. _She's a nun, you can't have her._ I liked Mary Eunice. More than a friend. I wanted her heart, but mine was taken. I didn't have anything to give to her completely and I wanted to give myself to her completely. Every part of me. My mind, soul, heart, and body.

"You know, you call me beautiful," Mary pulls the sheets closer to her. _She's always so cold. Would she be warmer if I wrapped my arms around her?_ "But you forget that you're the most beautiful woman on the planet."

My heart was taken by Mary Eunice.

* * *

Mary's POV

-Two months later-

"It's starting to get warmer out," Lana was in the kitchen making sandwiches. It was the only thing she could make without using heat. In the two months we've lived together, she's set the fire alarm off five times. "So I planned a picnic for us. I saw this nice little open field the other day when I was driving to work. We haven't gone out anywhere in a couple weeks, and I have the entire weekend off for the Fourth of July."

In the two months we've lived together, Lana has finished half her book, she found another journalism job a couple towns over a month ago. She's been so busy, we've hardly spent time together. I haven't been open about my feelings, but when it's just us, sitting at the coffee shop, I feel our souls connect. I don't have to tell her because she already knows. I daydream about kissing her all the time. Her warm lips on mine, moving slowly down my neck, her hands running all over my body.

I finally went back to church, I found the courage to get up and take myself one day while Lana was at work. I went to confession and confessed everything. How I left Briarcliff, Lana and I running away together, falling in love with a woman. The next day I went back and revoked my vows. I love God and I will always be His, but I couldn't deny that my faith had diminished. It was strong enough for me to live by for the rest of my life, but not strong enough to always be faithful to it.

We had gotten to know each other a lot more, like how she actually hated the color green. She would cringe every time she saw it and I'd drive her crazy by showing her something green. It made her laugh, that playful laugh, and it took all the strength in my body to not fall over. I told her about my childhood, growing up in an orphanage, the pool party, the abuse Sister Jude inflicted on me almost daily. We spent a whole night talking about it, laughing between the shared tears. I don't think I've ever cried harder while having someone hold me and making me laugh all at the same time. Part of the tears were from happiness. She told me all about the juicy stories she'd written over the years, telling me about her childhood. This was the first time in my life I've truly felt happy. Looking at Lana from across the room, a habit I've picked up, made my insides flutter like a butterfly. I'd say it's a good habit though. When it comes to Lana, nothing was ever bad.

"Come on sweetheart," Lana stood by the door, with a picnic basket and checked blanket in her arm. I sat up on the couch, snapping out of my thoughts. She was wearing brown pants with a cream colored t shirt tucked in. She was wearing the new belt I bought her last week. Her brown hair flowed right above her shoulders, and if I wasn't so madly in love with her before, I am now.

* * *

"Here try to catch it in your mouth," Lana held up a grape and tossed it into my open mouth.

"I can't do it," I giggled after I tried to catch ten grapes that all just ended up falling.

"One more and we'll eat the rest," she held up another grape and it flew right into my mouth. It crunched as I chewed and swallowed it.

I held my arms up, "Victory!"

"You are so fucking cute," Lana cursed while saying the sweet words. "I bet you're tickilish."

I grabbed my sides, "No, I am not."

"Then why are you defending yourself, huh?" she raised an eyebrow, smirking. "If you're not tickilish, put your hands down."

I put my hands down and she lunged towards me with poking fingers. She grabbed at my sides, I screamed with laughter. "Lana, stop it!" She didn't stop, but only tickled harder. I couldn't breathe I was laughing and wriggling so hard. Her laughter was deafening, and I saw stars in her eyes.

She must've stopped, because now she was hovering over me. Her hands pinned above me head. She was staring into my eyes, her left hand brushing over my cheek. I leaned my head into her, loving her touch on my skin. I bit my lip, trying to push away the temptation but I searched for it everywhere in Lana. I raised my hand to intertwine with hers, placing our interlocked fingers on my chest. Her eyes wondered down, and she bit her lip. _Kiss me._ I wanted to beg for her lips to touch mine for the first time. I needed her kiss more than I needed air.

"Please," I asked softly, I felt a lump in my throat. She didn't say anything, she didn't kiss me either. She sat up instead, pulling her legs up to her chest. _You know what's on her mind, don't be stupid Mary Eunice._ I sat up, putting my hand on her knee. She put hers on top of mine. "I'll be here when you're ready."

Lana's POV

Cowardice overcame me at the picnic. It was so perfect, she was right there. Her angelic features in the palms of my hand, every secret in her eyes ready to be told, begging to be entrusted in someone. I was ready to kiss her, I wanted to kiss her so badly. If my life depended on a single kiss, I'd want her to be my last. She was so soft, her lips probably taste like sugar. I became paralyzed when she clasped our hands together and placed them on her chest. I couldn't do it, every memory of kissing Wendy flowed like a waterfall in my mind.

I knew she was disappointed, I could see it in her eyes. I was disappointed in myself. I hadn't thought of Wendy in over a month. Mary and I dove face first into our new lives together, going out to places around New Orleans, we went to our first Mardi Gras together. We'd spend the weeknights watching our favorite shows together, laughing and talking about what would happen next week. Mary Eunice always knew what was going to happen. She was never wrong, it's like she had the power to read minds or something. I didn't have time to think about Wendy nor did I want to think about her. All I wanted to think about was Mary.

I sit on the edge of the bed, waiting for Mary to come out of the bathroom. I always took my shower first and waited for her to finish hers before we headed to bed. I read a poem to her every night as part of our nightly routine. If I forgot, she'd wake me up in the middle of the night and make me read one to her. Tonight, the poem I'd read her would be against her lips.

Mary came out a few minutes later, in her white plush robe. She was so beautiful, her halo was glowing brighter than usual. "Come here, angel," I held out my hand for her to take. She looked confused at first, like she wanted to cry. She took my hand and I pulled her closer to me.

I wrapped my hand around her legs, letting them slowly travel up to cup her bottom, then slowly up her back.

I felt a tear fall onto my arm and she fell to her knees. "Please love me," she looked at me with tear filled bright blue eyes. I wiped away the tears, and shook my head.

"There will be nothing but love tonight," I promised, but I can't deny that I felt tears forming in my own.

The features of her face melted under my skin, and after so many days, hours, minutes, and seconds of love filled desire, I connected my lips to hers. It was explosions of fireworks, the tears that fell from our eyes onto our cheeks igniting it. She opened her mouth and I slipped my tongue daftly against hers. It was warm and tasted like strawberries, my favorite. We moved hungrily, I bit her bottom lip, sucking and circling it with my tongue. She moaned softly and I felt the heat between my legs growing. She moved her lips from my lips to my cheek, and down my neck, placing sprouting rosebuds.

I shifted back onto the bed, pulling her up and on with me, our lips never breaking. I flipped us to where I was on top. I started to suck softly on her neck, on every inch of soft, exposed skin I can get. I don't want to let any inch of her body to go unkissed or unloved. I've never been religious but this woman, this angel, was my new church that I'd worship in every day.

I carefully untied her robe, letting it drop open. She gasped at the cool air hitting her skin. I wanted to cry at the sight of this beautiful woman. There was nobody else more perfect and she was all mine. My hand run up her thigh, across her belly, and firmly squeezing her breast. Her hand unbuttoned my oversized mens shirt, she was shaking so much, I had to help her. I let the shirt fall off my shoulders and onto the floor, the air making my nipples hard.

"Lana," she whispered. "You're my new religion."

I collided my lips against hers once again, deeper and rougher. I moved back to her neck, not stopping this time, but I continued to move farther down. I left love bites on her collarbones, nipping softly. She whimpered in my ear as I kissed the valley between her breasts, massaging them each carefully before sucking at the bright pink nipple. She moaned loudly, and I felt a pool forming between my legs. I trailed my tongue on her belly as I found my head placed between her legs like a puzzle piece.

"Are you okay?" I asked before going any further. "Are you sure?"

"I want this every day, for the rest of my life," she said in pants.

I kissed her inner thighs, teasing, before putting my tongue right on her center. She gasped, bucking her hips up. I licked fast and harshly, sucking gently, biting often. She tastes like a field of ripe blueberries, I reveled in the taste, taking joy in her pleasure. Her hips were rolling, faster than I could move my tongue. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pushing her down with my hands. Her whimpers got louder, turning to screams. Her hands were entangled in my hair, pulling with every new tongue gesture. I sucked with all the passion in my body as her world fell down. I kept my tongue on her core till she fell limp.

I moved my way back to her lips slowly, leaving small, gentle kisses up her body. I laid next to her, pulling her face towards mine into a soft kiss. She was trembling. She licks my lips and I let out a moan.

"I want to do that to you," Mary whispers in my ear, trailing her hand down my entire body. I shivered, her touch was warm. It was always cold, but today her touch is hot, almost on fire.

"I want to taste myself on your lips," I moan into her neck.

She makes her way down my body with her lips, kissing me almost the same way I kissed her.

"You can kiss me however you want," I tell her through labored breaths.

"I know," she looked up at me with a smirk, before putting her tongue on my core.

I was not lasting long. She moved fast, sucking then stopping, faster then slower. I wrapped a leg lazily around her, my entire body was shaking. Her hand traced circles on the inside of my thigh.

"Fuck, Mary," I panted as I rode out the high. I was floating on air.

Mary brought me back down as her lips hit mine. I bit down on her bottom lip, she giggled slightly.

"You can't call me the virgin Mary anymore," she teased. She wasn't as innocent as I thought she was. But I love her and our love isn't a sin. "What did I taste like?"

"Strawberries," I trace her swollen lips, pulling our bodies closer so I can feel her against me. "Me?"

"Sugar."

* * *

Mary's POV

"Would you rather eat bagels or donuts everyday for the rest of your life?" Lana asked, drawing lazy circles on my stomach. We were playing a game of would you rather after she spent several hours exploring my body. That's how we spend most our nights now.

" _Were you ever religious Lana?" I struggled to get the words out of my mouth as she sucked the skin of my breasts._

" _No," she mumbled, not letting her mouth leave my skin, she sucked harder and my hips bucked._

" _I couldn't tell by the way you do that," my nails clawing gently at her back._

 _She sat up, propping herself up on her elbows to look at me. I didn't want to make her stop. "Please don't stop," I begged so quietly I wasn't sure she could hear me._

" _I never thought I'd sleep with a nun," she pecked at my collarbone. "I also never thought that a nun could be so eager in the shack."_

 _I still hadn't told her I revoked my vows, but now seemed to be the perfect time. "Lana, I-, I revoked my vows."_

 _She sat up in the bed, not bothering to cover herself up. I reached my hand out to touch her, my fingertips igniting. I traced her breasts, rolling her nipples between my fingers. I leaned in to put them between my teeth, but she pushed me back._

" _I'm trying to have a serious conversation," she chuckled slightly. "Can you contain yourself for a few minutes?"_

 _I nodded, but I wasn't sure I could. "I felt my faith starting to fade and I couldn't keep making promises to myself that I was as faithful as I used to be. I think I wanted a part of myself to be, but my heart wanted something else."_

" _What did it want?"_

" _You. My heart wanted you."_

 _She searched my face, reaching out and cupping it in her hand, "I love you."_

 _The words set off a wildfire in my body, "I love you Lana."_

 _Our lips connected, it felt like a garden of flowers sprouting from the soil, just barely breaking out into the world. I rolled us over so I was straddling her, she sat up so she could hold me. We kissed, exploring each over for the first time all over again._

 _We held each other like that for a long time, caressing each other's bodies, till we both collapsed from exhaustion._

"Hmm, I think donuts," I answer Lana after thinking about her question for a while. "Cause they have all different types with different colored frosting and you can put sprinkles on them!"

"You're the cutest woman ever, I swear," she pecked my shoulder. "Every single thing you do is cute, do you think you could stop being so cute all the time? It makes you so hard to resist."

Her words coursed through my body like a fire waiting to be started which only tempted me more. I wanted to ask her about Wendy. She hadn't spoken of her in months and I didn't want her to. It was selfish of me to want that, but I found myself overwhelmed in wanting things I shouldn't.

"Would you rather spend the rest of your life with me or Wendy?" the words ran out of my mouth like mice. "Lana, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I didn't mean it Lana, I didn't."

She didn't say anything, she just quietly got up and out of bed, wrapping herself up in her robe that laid on the floor, "I'm sleeping on the couch tonight," she said in a low, solemn voice.

"Lana, please," hot tears ran down my face. _You're so stupid and selfish Mary Eunice. You're selfish for wanting Lana to not go back to Wendy when she came back. You're selfish for falling in love with a woman you couldn't keep. How could you be so stupid?_

I pulled my legs up to my chest, pulling the covers closer to me. I couldn't stop the tears from falling. I fell in love with a woman I could never have and I ruined every ounce of what we had. She'll never forgive me for what I said. I can't blame her, I don't want her to forgive me either.

* * *

I was starting to get worried about Lana. When I woke up this morning, she was already gone. She didn't leave a note, everything was left perfectly like she was never even there. I moped around the apartment for a couple hours, I had a panic attack, finding it hard to breath and my chest about to explode.

I grabbed my purse and left for a while to get some fresh air. I walked through town going in and out of tourist shops. I felt my head starting to spin, I heard someone behind me ask if I was okay.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I mumbled. The sunlight shone into my eyes, blinding me.

I needed to get inside a building for a while. I stumbled around barely able to see, into the church. I sat down in a pew, bowing my head in my lap.

 _God, I have no right to ask for forgiveness or to pray to you right now. I have sinned more in these last few months more than I have in my entire life. I let temptation overcome my life and I was stupid and gave into it. Please take care of Lana. Let her know that I love her and still wish to be her friend if we cannot be together._

That evening, I stayed up waiting for Lana. She usually comes in from work a little before five, but it was going on nine. I started to get even more worried about her. _She might be hurt, call the hospital and see if she's there. Did she go back to Massachusetts? I want her to be safe._

I wiped the tears from my swollen eyes from hours of crying, deciding to go on and get a shower. I stripped out of the dress I was wearing, it fell to the floor with a soft thud. I turned the water in the shower on letting it warm up before stepping in. I let the water flow over my body, more tears slowly forming and my eyes starting to burn again. I just need to hear her voice. Even if it's the last time I hear it.

I think I hear a door shut but it might be my mind imagining things. I close my eyes, the burning sensation relieving itself for a few moments as I rinsed the shampoo from my hair. I opened my eyes and saw a nude Lana standing right in front of me. I resisted the urge to let my eyes travel along her body, but I met her eyes. They were brown and reminded me of home. She was my home, the only one I've ever known. Her eyes were puffy and red like she'd been crying too.

"Lana," I say softly. I want to say more but her name is the only word that needs to be said.

"Don't speak," she places her finger to my mouth.

She looks at me up and down, I feel exposed in front of her. I've been naked in front of her many times but it was like she was seeing me for the first time. I wanted to run away, but my feet stayed planted because it was the only place I wanted to be.

"Turn around," she ordered. I did as she said. I felt her warm hands that used to be rough, but are now soft touch the front of my body. They rested on my breasts, her lips connecting to the skin on the back of my neck. I shivered but I wasn't cold. She moved her hand down my belly, and kneeled down so her face was level with my bottom. Her warm lips kissed the scarred skin from the cane lashes. "You're so beautiful, my angel."

I felt more tears swelling up in my eyes as she stood up and turned me to where I was facing her again. She grabbed my hand and placed it on her chest. Her heart was beating rapidly.

"Do you feel my heart beating?" I nodded. "It beats for you and you only. You are the woman I love and will love for the rest of my life."

I kissed her daringly, roughly, putting all my emotions into a single kiss. She bit my top lip, tugging on it gently. I moaned and she shuttered under my touch when I put my hands on her hips. Our hands and lips moved together fast in unison, never getting enough. She leaned down and picked me up, carrying our wet bodies onto the bed.

Her lips ran down my neck, she sucked harshly, the passion in her lips coming alive on my skin. I could hardly stay still, my hips bucking into hers. My hands searching for something to hold while she delivered pleasure into my body.

She interlocked our fingers, pinning my arms to the bed. She moved faster now taking her time in my most sensitive places. My breasts, nipples, the part of skin right above my bellybutton I deliciously loved. She knew my sweet spots inside and out.

She grinded her hips against mine, our cores hot and wet rubbing together. I latched my legs around her waist as we moved together in unison. I wanted her to feel as good as she was making me feel. We pressed against each other for hours, teasing and begging before finally coming apart together at the same time.

The water on our bodies had long dried, now we were drenched in sweat. We laid face to face, I pushed her hair out of her face, placing a single kiss to her temple.

"I love you more than life itself Lana," I kissed her cheek, lingering my lips on the warm skin for a few mere moments.

"Mary Eunice, I love you so much, my heart feels like it's going to burst out of my chest," the matches the kiss on my cheek.

We spend the rest of the night whispering sweet words of reassurance to each other, confessing every last drop of our love for each other. Her love is the sweetest part of it all.

* * *

Lana's POV

A few weeks had passed since that night. I wasn't upset with Mary for asking the question because I had been asking myself the same question for weeks. I was upset for not knowing the answer to the question that Mary deserved the answer to. If Wendy were to show up on my doorstep, who would I choose? Would I choose the woman I'd been with for years, or the woman who made me feel like I would turn to ash at the touch of her hand. The woman who I fell in love with the first time I saw her in Jude's office. The woman who I truly loved more than anyone else in the world.

I went to work that day but I failed to get anything done and my boss ended up telling me to go home around 2. I drove around aimlessly for hours, till I finally found myself back at the field. I sat in the grass, pulling at the weeds and blades of grass. Every blade of grass I picked, a memory of Wendy was erased from my mind. The memory of the first kiss we shared dissipated, the first time we made love in our house ceased to exist. All the dates and trips out of town never happened. I picked blades of grass till Wendy no longer had a place in my heart.

I can't say that it was easy, with every pull I couldn't keep myself from crying. I missed her but she was a stranger to me now. I wouldn't recognize her if she was standing in front of me. I sat there all afternoon, while the sunset into the night. When I finally stopped crying after picking that final blade of grass, I went back to my car to head home to Mary. I couldn't wait to be back in her arms, I needed to kiss her so desperately.

I stopped at a fast food joint to grab something to eat, I hadn't eaten anything all day and the pain pitted in my stomach had me doubling over. But after that I raced back to her. I wasn't going to leave her alone ever again.

Now, I sat on the couch with my arms wrapped around her waist. She was reading Little Women.

I nuzzled my face into her neck, "We should go swimming," I muttered. She gave me a look of panic. I completely forgot she had a fear of water because of the cruel schoolkids. "I'm sorry, I forgot. We don't have to go swimming, I'm sorry baby."

She laid her head on my chest and I twirled her hair around my fingers lazily, "I think I'm ready to overcome my fear."

She stood on the diving board before me. She looked like an angel descending from heaven. Her bikini was a bright purple with little white flowers all over it. She looked around her and I could tell she was afraid.

"It's just us baby," I reassure her. I hold my hand out to her for her to grab when she jumps into the water. "It's just us and it'll be us till the end of time."

"I can't do it Lana," she sounded afraid. "I'm so afraid."

"Don't be afraid my darling, I'm here to protect you."

In the blink of an eye, she was splashing water on my face, emerged in the clear blue pool water.

"You did it sweetheart, I'm so proud of you," I grabbed her and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I kissed her wet lips that tasted like chlorine and salt, but the taste was magical on her lips.

I leaned her back, so she was floating, keeping an arm under her body so she didn't sink. Her arms outstretched themselves, "I'm floating."

"Yes you are baby," I pushed the hair off her face so I could take in her sights.

"Kiss me," her voice was so soft I barely heard her. "Kiss me like you're kissing me for the first time."

So I did. I grabbed her face, pressing firmly on her perfect pink lips. She kissed me with a sort of relief in her body leaving. I felt the pain she's been carrying leave her body and fly away in the wind. Nothing would ever be more perfect than this.

* * *

Mary's POV

Today was the worst day of mine and Lana's life.

The week started out amazing. Lana published her book and it went number one on the bestsellers list in minutes. Briarcliff was shut down permanently. Money was no longer an issue for us. Everything was bliss.

Till Lana got a call from Kit Walker.

He was an inmate at Briarcliff that was committed for the bloodyface murders. But he was found innocent after another woman was found dead, killed the same way. The woman was Wendy.

"Are they sure it was Wendy?" Lana cried into the other side of the receiver. "They have to be mistaken. She told me she was hiding from Jude."

She said nothing. She hung the phone up a few minutes later.

"Lana, I'm so so so sorry," I said pulling her into my arms. She burst into tears, wailing loudly. The tears of pain and grief soaking my shirt. I pulled her as close as I could, we dropped to the floor, her head in my lap, holding my legs for grounding. She wept for hours, and I held her tightly. I tried to wish away her pain, praying silently to God to take her pain away. But as the time went on, she cried harder and it didn't cease till several hours later. She had cried all the tears she had in her body.

Neither of us spoke for the rest of the day. I didn't know what to say, but I didn't have to say anything. She knew I was there and I held her when she started to cry again. She cried herself to sleep, while her head laid on top of my chest. I didn't sleep at all that night, I wanted to stay awake in case she started to cry again. I didn't want her to be alone and she'll never be alone again.

* * *

Lana's POV

I took a bus back to Massachusetts to see Kit. I would've drove but it's cheaper to take a bus. I needed to talk to him and I needed to see Wendy. I went alone, I couldn't take Mary with me. I know she would want to see Kit, as she was the one who tended to him after Jude caned him, more than once. But this was more personal than just seeing Kit. Something I couldn't burden Mary with. I needed closure with Wendy and I couldn't do it if Mary was with me. Partly out of guilt, but my goodbyes needed to be private.

It was selfish to leave Mary without even saying goodbye and instead leaving a note on her pillow. She could've stayed with Kit while I went to see Wendy, I'm sure they could go see a movie and get some coffee, but just something told me I needed to do this alone.

I bought a blonde wig and sunglasses so nobody on the bus would recognize me. That was the last thing I needed, to have cameras following me wanting to interview me. Wendy and I's relationship never went public, as far as the tabloid's are concerned. Once I got to the cemetery I would be completely alone.

I slept through most of the bus ride catching up on some sleep after all the crying. I called Kit from a payphone as soon as I got off. He picked me up an hour later and we drove out to his house. It was small and secluded out in the country. We'd have complete privacy.

"Alma," Kit said to the woman standing in the kitchen with a baby on her hip. "This is Lana. We were in Briarcliff at the same time. Lana this is Alma."

"It's very nice to meet you Miss Winters," Alma reaches out to shake my hand. "Kit talks about you all the time. All I've heard about all week is how you shut that retched place down."

"I've been meaning to reach out to you," I admit. I didn't know he had gotten out of Briarcliff truthfully. I would check death records once a week for his name, praying I didn't come across his name. I never did but I thought he would be transferred to another asylum after Briarcliff was shut down this week. "Things have been so busy with Mary and I lately, we're always on our toes."

"Wait," he stops me. "You and Mary live together?"

"Yes," I nod, Alma hands me a glass of water. "She's my, um, girlfriend."

His eyes were about to bug out of his head, I continued before he could say anything, "I know what it sounds like but I fell in love with her Kit. We have this spark between us that I can't explain."

It was the first time I called Mary my girlfriend. I liked the way it fell off my tongue, like the way her tongue felt on mine. I always called Wendy my partner, I couldn't stand saying that. It sounded like we were both cops or cowboys. But she always insisted that I never call her anything else.

"Lana," Kit pulls me into a hug. "That's amazing, I'm so happy for you. How come you didn't bring her with you? I've been saving up a few new jokes to tell her."

Guilt hit me in the stomach like a bullet, "I needed to come alone. I wanted to bring her I did, but this is personal Kit, I couldn't burden her with something like this. I don't want her to doubt my love for her again."

"Again?" he raised an eyebrow at the word.

I sighed, "We were in bed talking one night and she asked me if I wanted to be with her or Wendy for the rest of my life. I thought Wendy was hiding from Jude, she wrote this note. I didn't know that she-. I fell in love with Mary so stupidly fast I didn't care about Wendy or anything else. Anyways, I didn't say anything to her and I left her home alone all day. I needed to clear my head and get my thoughts in order. But I went back and I told her she was the one I want to love for the rest of my life."

"You sure have a funny way of showing it," he grabbed the baby from Alma who went into the other room. "You tell her you love her, but you don't talk to her about what's going on inside your head. You run from it and you leave her wondering about your intentions. If you love her like you say you do, you'll talk to her about these things. She's your girlfriend Lana, she's going to be there for you in ways that Alma and I can't. She'll be there on your dark nights to hold you tight. She'll wipe your tears and protect you from all your fears. It sounds like she loves you as much as you love her and you're hurting her by not telling her these things. Don't get me wrong Lana, I'm here for you and I'll always be here for you, but not in the way Mary can be."

He was right and I knew it. His words stung like knives. "It's not that simple Kit."

"It is that simple," he places the baby in the highchair, opening a can of baby food. "You're so damn hard headed sometimes Lana. You can't see what you got right in front of you and you lose it. Don't lose her. You should call her, the phones in the other room."

I ponder for a while before deciding to call her. I pick the phone up and dial our apartment.

"Hello?" her voice sounds softer on the phone. She sniffles, she's been crying.

"Mary," I say into the receiver. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry for what?" I can hear the anger in her voice. I hated that I did this to her.

"I'm sorry that I haven't been talking to you about my worries," I admit to her. I let everything go in that moment. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you I was leaving, it was wrong of me and I'm so sorry."

She didn't say anything, the silence was deafening. "I forgive you," she said finally breaking the silence.

"I can't talk much right now, I'm at Kit's," I look over my shoulder and see Kit doing the airplane with the baby's spoon. "But I'll be home in a few days and I promise I won't let anything else come between us. We can talk things out. I want to talk to you baby."

"Then talk to me," she pleaded. "I love you with all my heart and soul Lana, but you're not letting me."

A single tear rolled down my cheek, "I know. But I will. I just need to do this one last thing and I'm yours forever."

"Take all the time you need, I'll wait for you," she hung up before I had the chance to say anything else. It's probably a good thing.

I placed the phone back on the dock, walking back into the kitchen. "What's this little ones name?"

"Her name's Grace," Kit pulled her out of the highchair. "Wanna hold her?"

"Sure, if it's okay with you," Kit nodded and I took the baby on my hip. "Hi there."

I bounced her up and down her giggles filled the room. It was contagious, the first thing to make me smile since being back.

"She likes you Aunt Lana," Kit had his hands on his hips like the proud dad I knew he was.

"Aunt Lana huh?" I smirked, running my hand across Grace's little head.

I held Grace for a while longer till she started getting fussy. Alma came back in the room and took her to change her diaper. This small little family had each other and everything that they needed. I did too.

* * *

After dinner, Kit and I sat in the bed of his truck drinking a few beers. My head was starting to feel a little dizzy, but I still had all my marbles.

"How did you get out of Briarcliff?" was the first thing I asked. "You know nobody leaves that place, how'd you do it?"

"My friend and a nun taught me a few tricks," his lips upturned. "Nah, they were starting to get overcrowded and were letting the ones who didn't belong there go. I was one of them."

"Did you go to the police when you got out?" I took a swing of beer, swishing it around a little.

"I tried, but they thought I was lying. A person who just got out of a mental asylum doesn't exactly have the best reliability around here."

"What happened to Jude?" I couldn't help but ask. I hated the woman with a passion, but Mary and I always wondered what became of her.

"She, um, died," Kit took a drink of his beer as he said it. "She was committed after she tried to expose Dr. Arden for being a nazi. She didn't get very far, that asshole lied to Howard about how she was trying to the kill patients. He started running the place shortly after that, but then he just disappeared. I don't know if he fled, if something happened to the bastard or what but he's gone. Howard tried to run the place himself for a while but as inmates were being released, word started getting out more and more about that place and what went on in there. He was a guilty coward and killed himself. I was released shortly after that and I planned on taking Jude with me. She was a changed woman, you know. We'd play gin in the common room sometimes. But one day she just got really sick and died. It all happened so fast."

"I'm actually sorry to hear that," I looked at Kit. He was finishing his beer and grabbed another one. I decided to go ahead and ask the question behind why I came. "Who was the real bloodyface? What did they do to Wendy?"

"Oliver Thredson," he said in one breath. "That fucking evil… he tried to frame me. He killed Wendy."

I felt nauseated, I wanted to lean over the truck and vomit. He came up to me and offered to help me escape if I went through conversion therapy. I was willing to do it, till Mary and I planned our escape. I could've become one of those women he killed. I chugged the rest of my beer, feeling the effects immediately. I was glad. I didn't want to think about what could've happened if Mary didn't save us.

"He ripped all her teeth out," Kit said after a few silent moments. "The pain was so much, her heart gave out."

"Where did they find her?" I looked straight ahead at the moon. It was the only thing I could keep my focus on.

"You don't-,"

"Where did they find her Kit?" I ask sternly.

"They found her in a freezer in his basement," his hand touched mine as he held it in a friendly embrace. "He tried to kidnap another girl, but she managed to escape him and run to the police. They busted into his house and found everything. He had a torture chamber in his basement. He turned them into furniture."

"Stop," I hold my hand up. I don't want to hear anymore. I don't want to think about what he did to her before he killed her. I held back tears that I would release later once I was in bed. "Did they put her in a casket or cremate her?"

"They cremated her. They said her body was in no shape for a casket. And if nobody claims them after a month, by law they have to cremate them."

I knew about that law, but I was hoping that someone who knew her was worried enough to go looking for her. Nobody claimed her and she was all alone. _It should've been you who was looking for her. You knew her better than anyone. You didn't even try to find her._

Kit and I finished off the rest of the beer, stumbling our way back into the house. I fell asleep on the couch, letting the tears fall. So many thoughts were running through my head, I couldn't focus on one without a thousand more coming. I no longer loved Wendy, but I didn't stop caring about her. I was so drunk on freedom when I escaped from Briarcliff, I didn't even think over the note. It was her handwriting. Did she write it before Thredson kidnapped her? Was she really going into hiding from Jude? Did he force her to write it so it wouldn't raise eyebrows? It was perfect timing, anything could've happened. It was all so easy. The way I took off with Mary Eunice to New Orleans without a second thought. _You didn't want to give it a second thought Lana. You had feelings for her from the beginning. You saw the chance and took it._

My love for Mary Eunice wasn't a lie. I fell hard and fast for her and I don't regret anything. I miss Wendy and now she's dead. Of course I'm upset about it. But that doesn't change how I feel about Mary, about Wendy, about anything. Tomorrow I'd go to the cemetery and finally get the clarity I've been desperately needing. Then, I'd go home to the woman who would be waiting for me. My perfect angel, Mary Eunice.

* * *

Mary's POV

Lana called that morning telling me she was coming home. I couldn't wait to see her. I missed kissing her warm soft lips and holding her close. All I wanted to do when she walked through those doors was hold her tight and never let go.

I was angry at first when she called me from Kit's house. She didn't bother to even say goodbye. _I'm going to Massachusetts for a couple days. I'll be staying with Kit. I'm going to think about you every second I'm gone._ I ripped the note up and threw it away. I'd never been angry before, I didn't know how to react. I felt like breaking something, yelling, anything to release it.

Then she called. As soon as I heard her voice, the anger ceased. I knew she was okay and got there safely. I love this woman so much it physically hurts. It hurt me that she didn't trust me enough to talk to me about what's been going on. I can see it in her face when she's thinking about something. Every time I asked what she was thinking about, if she was okay, she shut me out. If she were to slam a door in my face, that would bother me less. But she promised that we would talk about things. She would tell me what was going on inside her little world when she got home and from then on.

I paced around the apartment, cleaning and tidying things up. There wasn't much to clean, Lana always kept the place spotless. I went out to a few of the new stores that opened up lately. I bought a couple new shirts, but I found I spent most of my time in the lingerie department.

" _Is there anything your man likes in particular?" the saleswoman asked me as I was perusing the racks. My "man" is a woman. I held my tongue from saying that because Lana said that it was more frowned upon in the south and it could put us in danger._

" _He's very passionate, he likes to take his time but he's rough sometimes, not too rough. He loves the swell of my breasts. He doesn't like green either," I described Lana like she was a man._

" _I know just the thing," she held up her finger for me to wait. She came back a few seconds later with a silky red bra and underwear set. The bra was longer and would meet right above my belly button. It was lacy, Lana likes lace. The underwear was lacy too but simple. "This'll be sure to drive him crazy when he sees you."_

 _I thanked her and paid for everything. On my way back home, I stopped at a corner store to buy a coloring book and some colored pencils. I needed something to do while Lana got back so that's how I distracted myself._

It was around five in the morning when I heard her come through the door. She made her way into the bedroom, cuddling up next to me. Her arm snaked around my body. She placed tiny kisses on my neck, her breath was hot.

"Are you up?" her sweet voice traveled through my ears.

I grinned, "No."

She turned me over to where I was facing her, "I missed you so much baby." Her lips clashed with mine. It was a simple kiss, but it was the best kiss. "Are you ready to talk?"

We talked till the sun came up, ignoring the exhaustion. She told me everything about Wendy. She told me about their firsts, what their relationship was like, how she felt about her. She told me about Kit, how he was released from Briarcliff. Then she told me about bloodyface, it was Oliver Thredson, Kit's court appointed therapist. She told me what he did to Wendy and I felt the feeling of anger start to form again.

I thought she was going to cry, but her eyes were dry. We were both tainted with fatigue, but she was the one who fell asleep first. I fell asleep right after that, making sure she was okay and didn't start crying in her sleep. We slept till the evening came along, missing the entire day. I woke up before she did, the clock said it was 8:25PM, so I hopped into the shower. I left the lingerie in a bag next to the toilet. I was going to put it on and show her now that was home.

I washed my hair, rolling the bar of soap over my skin. I stepped out and before putting the lingerie on, I put some of the new lotion Lana bought on. It smelled like lilacs. I stood up and I looked at myself in the mirror. My breasts were small, like little hills in the valley. My skin was pale, I almost looked like a ghost. I told myself I needed to spend more time out in the sun to tan a little. I slid the bra and underwear on swiftly.

I stepped outside and I saw Lana sitting up in bed. She was laying on her side, propping herself up again with her elbow. I saw that she was nude under the covers. My knees always go weak at the sight of her. She moonlight glistened on her face, revealing a grin.

I walked in front of the bed, lifting my leg onto the bed and crawling slowly over to her. She sat up, letting the blanket fall off her chest. Her breasts were now exposed. She looked like one of heavens most magnificent creatures. I was now straddling her, her hands running underneath the red lace.

"I like this," she teased. "I love it actually and I can't wait to take it off."

"No," I put her hands on the side of my legs. "Tonight I'm going to worship you."

"Mary," she whimpered. Her hand found it's way to my hair, pulling us into a kiss. It was feverish, her lips were trembling. I pulled her bottom lip into my mouth, so I could suck with ease. Our tongues became tangled, exploring each taste bud. With every new discovery, was a new taste. The taste of honey came after the taste of peaches.

My mouth traveled down her neck, searching for more tastes. Her skin tasted like salt and I licked while I sucked at the valley right above her collarbone. I left tiny bitemarks, seeing how loud I could get her to moan before they turned to screams.

I moved my lips up and down her body several times, I turned the pink skin on her nipples purple from sucking long and hard. She let out a cry as I went to do the same to the rest of her body. She kept a firm grasp in my hair, she tried not to pull, but I secretly liked it when she did.

I touched my fingers to her wet folds, pressing hard circles into her clit. She bucked her hips repeatedly. I knew what she wanted so I slipped two fingers inside. I pumped slow at first, bending one finger, while bending the other one after. I put my mouth on her clit, sucking at her pleasure point. I started moving my fingers faster, sucking harder. I felt her walls start to tighten as her orgasm came down from the sky. She watched me as I slowly licked my fingers clean.

I snaked up next to her body, she put one arm around me and I laid my head on her chest. Her heart was beating so fast. It was music to me.

"Stay here," I jumped out of bed for a quick second. I walked over to the drawer and took out the polaroid camera Lana bought me a few weeks ago. She took me to an art museum and I was baffled by the Ansel Adam snapshots.

" _I saw how in love you were with them, so I bought you your very own."_

She saw what I had in my hand and she splayed one arm behind her head, and placed the other on her stomach. I pressed the shutter down and the photograph rolled out from the bottom. She posed differently this time, sitting up, running one hand through her hair. I pushed down before she could move. I took one last one, moving onto the bed to take it. I held my hand up and she wrapped her fingers that fit so perfectly into mine. She brought them to her chest and I pressed down again. The photograph came out and I shook all three gently as the photos developed.

"What are you going to do with those," I placed the camera and the pictures on her nightstand before returning to my original position. My head on her chest, her arm around me.

"It gives me something to look at when you're not here," I heard her laugh. It was so pretty.

"You're one dirty nun," she kissed my temple, still chuckling.

"I'm an ex-nun," I correct her. I close my eyes feeling myself start to drift to sleep.

"An ex-nun maybe, but my very cute, very dirty minded girlfriend that I'm going to love for the rest of my life." I like the sound of that.

* * *

Lana's POV

-One year later-

After that day, things changed for the better for Mary Eunice and I. We became more vocal about our feelings, mostly me. I started telling her when I was feeling sad about what happened at Briarcliff or frustrated with the crazy fans. We were closer than ever. I was happier than I had ever been in my life.

"Babe," Mary said as she walked out of the bathroom of our new house. We bought it four months ago when our lease was up for renewal. With the sales of my book booming, all the fan mail, Mary starting art school, we needed something a little bigger. "Jane and I are going out for a girls day all day today."

She walked over to me and placed a warm wet kiss on my lips, "Have fun darling."

I stopped her before she walked out the door, "Oh, I talked to Kit this morning and he's looking forward to seeing us next weekend. He says Grace is walking on her own now."

"I miss that little girl," Mary smiled so big. "I'm going to take her and Alma out for ice cream."

"Sounds like you're going to have a good time," I blew a kiss to her as she shut the front door softly behind her.

" _Lana, I want to talk to you about something," Mary sat down next to me on the couch as I was reading through fan mail. Most of it was usually a bunch of junk, but there were some letters that stood out to me. Women writing to me about the horrors they'd experienced. I would always try to write back to them._

" _What is it dear?" I pull her into my lap, playing with her hair as I always do._

" _I want to go to art school."_

" _Okay," I was excited about her asking. She took so much interest at the art museum that I bought her a polaroid and some canvas paper and watercolors. She had a natural talent to it. Her paintings were amazing. I told her that she needed to sell some of them but I think she wanted to keep them to hang around the house. "Do you have some places in mind baby?"_

 _She produced a stack of papers from behind her back, "Yeah I went around today and picked up some applications. They want a lot of information about high school though. I never kept any of that information filed away, I joined the church so I didn't really need to keep it."_

" _Did you take the ACT?" I asked, skimming through the several applications. "They're mostly just looking for how well you did on that."_

 _She shook her head, "You have to pay for it and I wasn't very smart, so I didn't see the point in taking it."_

" _Baby, you're the smartest person I know," I leaned up to kiss her cheek. She smiled brightly and it made everything so much more blissful. "I have access to some records at work. I can see what I can find."_

" _Oh you don't have to do that for me."_

" _I want to darling. If this is what you're passionate about I want to help you succeed."_

 _Her smile turned to kisses all over my face. If I knew she would react like this, I would've offered a long time ago. "Thank you so much Lana, I love you so much."_

I leave our house a while later. I had some errands I needed to run and an interview to go to. I rarely said yes to interviews. They all asked the same questions and I hated to relive the horror. But this one was different. The woman who would be interviewing me has become a close friend over the last couple months.

She wrote a letter to me and her story was different than most. It was very similar to mine, she too was committed to an asylum for being in love with a woman. They were living in Georgia and she made the mistake of kissing her girlfriend on the cheek in public. People around them started freaking out, they called the police on her. They arrested the both of them, but she lied and said that she was the one who was gay. She told the police her girlfriend was simply a friend and she should've thought twice about kissing her on the cheek.

They let her girlfriend go home, but for her she stayed in a hell hole for over a year. She wasn't allowed any access to the outside world, no phone calls. There was a crack in security and she was able to escape. When she returned home she found her girlfriend living with a man. She explained in her letter that cops had been following her girlfriend all over town and she felt the only way to get them off her back was to date a man. But she had fallen in love with him and they planned on getting married in the summer. She was heartbroken but all she wanted was for her to be happy, even if it wasn't with her.

She never went public with her story, afraid that it would land her back into another mental hospital. So when she read my book, she felt like she had found a friend for the first time in the last decade. Letters from her came every week and I replied instantly, putting my letters in the mail the next morning. She was a journalist too, she had her own television show. When she left Georgia and moved to New Orleans, she changed her name leaving her past behind. Nobody knew who she was and that was a good thing.

"Hi, I'm here to see Beth Murphy," I tell the security guard when I roll up to the gate.

"She's in lot 7," he opens the gates and points in the direction of her studio.

I took a deep breath and took a step of courage into the light.

After leaving lot 7, I drove around for a while to take in the moment of what just happened. I, a gay woman, just did an interview on live television with another gay woman and shared our stories. We talked about the injustices inside mental hospitals, the inhuman torture inflicted upon patients for minor infractions. She shared the story of a friend she had going under for a lobotomy because she forgot to check back in a screwdriver, even though she returned it. I looked right in the camera and said to the world that I would find out the truth going on behind the walls of other institutions and shut them down.

I pull into the parking lot of a new jewelry store that had it's grand opening earlier in the week. The sliding doors flew open as I stepped inside seeing men with their wives, women with their children, fathers with their sons. I was probably the only gay one here. I walked over to the counter that had the most couples picking out wedding rings. My eyes darted from ring to ring, I wanted to pick one that would make Mary's heart flutter a mile a minute.

My eyes floated to one that had a gorgeous ruby in the middle with smaller diamonds going down the band. I didn't know her ring size, but if I had to guess I'd say she was probably size 6.

"See one you like?" the young handsome salesman asked.

"Yeah," I pointed to the ring with the ruby. "I like this one."

"That one there's about a thousand dollars, you sure that's the one you want?"

Mary was priceless, no amount of money was too much, "Yes sir."

"Alright, let's get it in a box for you mam," he unlocked the glass counter, searching underneath for it. "What size do you need?"

"Size 6 please."

He put the box on the counter and I opened it, seeing my reflection in the deep red ruby. "It's perfect," I pulled out my wallet and handed the man 10 hundred dollar bills. "Keep the change for yourself."

I'm buzzing with happiness the entire way home. I know Mary and I can never be legally married but I want it to be a symbol of our love. I want her to know that I'm devoted to her for the rest of my life and our love is eternal.

It's a little after 8 when I arrive home, I open the front door and I see my astonishing angel sitting on the floor working on a new painting. She's only got a few strokes on the paper so I can't tell what it is just yet, but I'll watch paint the rest of it. Her face lights up like a Christmas tree when she sees me walk in. I'll never get tired of seeing her face when I come home every day, because I only fall in love with her more.

 **Hi, I hoped you all enjoyed the story! As of now, seeing this as the main story, it is complete. I may add some cute one-shots that took place during the story and after the story takes place. Let me know what you guys think!**


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